Electronystagmography findings in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) and type 2 (SCA2)

OBJECTIVE: To describe the alterations observed in electronystagmography (ENG) of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types 2 and 3. METHOD: Sixteen patients were studied and the following procedures were carried out: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngological and vestibular evaluations. RESULTS: The...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bianca Simone Zeigelboim, Hélio A.G. Teive, Rosane Sampaio, Ari Leon Jurkiewicz, Paulo B.N. Liberalesso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Neurologia (ABNEURO) 2011-10-01
Series:Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2011000600007&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:OBJECTIVE: To describe the alterations observed in electronystagmography (ENG) of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) types 2 and 3. METHOD: Sixteen patients were studied and the following procedures were carried out: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngological and vestibular evaluations. RESULTS: The clinical findings in the entire group of patients were: gait disturbances (93.75%), dysarthria (43.75%), headache (43.75%), dizziness (37.50%) and dysphagia (37.50%). In the vestibular exam, the rotatory (62.50%) and caloric (75%) tests were among those which presented the largest indexes of abnormalities; the presence of alterations in the exams was 87.50%, with a predominance of central vestibular disorders in 68.75% of the exams. CONCLUSION: Vestibular exams could be an auxiliary tool to investigate SCAs, besides a precise clinical approach and, particularly, molecular genetic tests.
ISSN:1678-4227